The Day After (Events leading up to and including Tara's coronation)
by Dragonnessa
Summary: I do not own any of the characters. Just wanted to publish my own take of the events after Tara was crowned Queen. I've watched the film Epic a million times and I fell in love with Ronin and Tara so not only did I make story about them, I also made the drawing and uploaded it. I really wished these characters could be together, and I wanted to show a softer side to them too.
1. Chapter 1 The Day After

The day after…,

Tara woke up with a start. At barely 18 years of age, she was just crowned as the new Queen the day before.

What does this mean for her? She never expected herself to be picked as Queen. There were more worthy candidates than she could ever be or so she thought. When the bright scattered lights headed her way and encircled her in it, changing her and her ordinary leaf dress to a regal Queen of the Forest, she stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what just happened. She felt elated then scared at the same time.

Things became a blur after that – there were much cheering from the enormous crowd gathered at Moonhaven, her Leafmen warriors all kneeling before her, Ronin backing off from her…

Ronin…

She remembered his face of utter shock, bewilderment, then a moment of sadness before she realised that even he has dropped to his knees. She wanted him to stop kneeling like that, she wanted to tell him but already she was surrounded by colourful butterfly ladies-in-waiting, gently guiding her to meet her subjects. After that, it has been a whirl of activity for the new Queen. She was too exhausted on her first night as Queen. Now waking up in her new chambers, her first thoughts were of Ronin.

She quickly moved, leaped out of bed and dressed without waiting for anyone to be with her and ran out of her chambers with her guards at her heel. "Your Majesty!" one of the Leafmen guards said, "Where are you going?"

"To find Ronin…"she replied as she went outdoors. She was not sure exactly how she was going to do that, when she was still getting used to her new powers as Queen but she was determined all the same.

"Your Majesty, you can not be travelling alone," the guard continued, "we have to come with you."

"Then help me find him…" Queen Tara said, concentrating on how she can really find him. Suddenly, leaves from the surrounding trees were falling, nearby flowers were opening up, turning towards her direction. Tara was amazed at how Nature appears to follow her and even obey her. She took a deep breath. Being Queen of the Forest takes some getting used to, especially as the forest appears to come alive wherever she is. She knew deep down, that this was a tremendous responsibility. Something stirred within her. Then realisation dawned. She deeply felt that as Queen, she will always look after the Forest and all those who reside in it. But her heart longs for one person….

Suddenly a flock of hummingbirds surrounded her with her Leafmen warriors already at her disposal waiting for her command. The largest and most colourful of these birds landed at her feet, bent its head towards her and waited patiently. It already had a saddle ready. It was as though it knew that she would be needing transport for today.

"Your Majesty…." Her Leafman guard continued, "If this is your wish, then we will do all that we can to help you…" and with that, his hummingbird flew next to him, ready to be flown.

Queen Tara nodded with a faint smile and on her own hummingbird, surrounded by her Leafmen guards, she flew to the first place she thought she could find him…the village they both grew up in.

She remembered their days together as children. They had enormous innocent fun, and he was as playful as she was, running through the forest, gathering flowers and seeds, making art with whatever they can find. They both felt one with Nature. They were free spirits. There was no such thing as duty or responsibility then. On one sunny day, they both lay down on the grass after chasing some imaginary foes and she would naively tease him and find to her delight that he was actually ticklish. She loved seeing him smile. For her, he really had the sweetest smile.

The denizens of the village dropped to their knees as soon as Queen Tara alighted from her hummingbird. She felt she really must get used to people and all creatures dropping to their knees every time they see her. At the same time, her heartstrings pulled that although she is Queen, she is still very much one of them. What was the motto her Leafmen warriors often say? Many leaves. One tree.

Stopping by the village elder, a wise old turtle, Tara asked, "Have you seen Ronin?"

The elder turtle smiled and slowly said, "Perhaps her Majesty should visit the Leafmen barracks." The Queen hesitated. The Leafmen barracks. Of course. He had always said he wanted to become a Leafman one day….

Thanking the village elder, she rode straight to the Leafmen barracks. Word has already been sent ahead of her arrival that she was coming to visit them and guards lined up the pathway leading to large imposing doors carved out of rock with the Leafman logo endorsed on it. Queen Tara suddenly felt so small as the huge doors opened for her, and again everyone dropped to their knees. An old commander dressed up with all his finery met her. "You honour us with your presence, Your Majesty," he said, kneeling down before her.

"Please, Commander, there is no need to kneel before me," she started.

"It is protocol, Your Majesty, and tradition," the old commander gently reminded her.

"Very well. I just wanted to know if Ronin is here," the Queen asked.

"Yes, he is. He enlisted the day you were crowned Queen," the commander informed her.

It took awhile for these words to sink in. Unable to think of anything else, the Queen asked: "Please may I see him?"

"Of course, your Majesty. But may I be so bold to say that you could have simply sent for him? There was no need for you to travel…" the commander said, trying hard to find words that would not come across as too forward. The Queen can sense the turmoil in the old soldier. She gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Commander," she said, "it's all right. It was I who wanted to find him…"

Just at that moment, Ronin arrived. Tara looked at him in surprise. The old village tunic and pants have now been replaced with the usual Leafman uniform and boots. He looked different. On seeing her, Ronin also dropped to his knees. The commander, astute enough to understand that they needed this time alone, bowed his head and retreated, summoning to the rest of the Leafmen to follow his lead.

"I could not find you after the crowning ceremony," Queen Tara said, breaking the silence between them.

"I knew you would be very busy keeping up with what is required of being Queen," Ronin said, standing up to his full height and looking at her large brown eyes," I did not wish to stand in the way of that."

He has grown serious. He also looked weary, as though he has been fighting an emotional battle within himself. The usual light banter between them appeared to have gone. He has changed somewhat. The Queen inched closer to him, watching him intently. "So you've now become a Leafman…"

"Yes, but I am still a recruit. I have a long way to go yet…" Ronin replied trying hard to keep breathing normally. It's never been easy when she is this close to him.

"Does this mean I won't be seeing much of you?" Queen Tara felt a pang in her heart as the words came out. Ronin was always there for her, they literally grew up together. He was her best friend, and now she realised with sudden clarity that he was also her love. What made her try to find him in the first place? Of course, she has also fallen in love with him.

Ronin remained unmoved. He did not know what to say. For that one moment, all he thought about was holding her in his arms, and heaven forbid, even kiss her but she is Queen, not only his Queen but the Queen of all, the Life of the Forest. He must remember duty and responsibility. Their childhood days are over. His hopes of one day making her his is all but destroyed when she was chosen as the next Queen. He has been brought up to think of others first not only of his own. No, he must remain sensible…and serious even if his heart knows otherwise. So there he remained, almost cold and aloof.

The Queen thought he could no longer be with her, and suddenly the enormity of being Queen of the Forest weighed heavily on her shoulders. She bowed her head and turned away from him. As she did so, the clouds started to gather, the skies began to darken and droplets of rain fell from the skies. Ronin looked up and realised with awe that the Queen's emotions can also, to some extent, affect the weather. She is still a fledging Queen just learning about her powers. Dropping his guard and the emotional wall he built inside himself, he ran after her. "Tara!" he called, gently turning her around so that she can face him. There were tears in those brown eyes of hers. He could not bear to see her like this. "Tara," he said gently, "I need to be even better at this job being a Leafman so that I can always be with you…"

He cupped her face in his hands, reminding her softly, "You are Queen now, and the Forest needs you. And I, I need you….to be strong for our people…" His thumb slowly wiped away a tear trickling down Tara's cheek and before he knew it, Tara threw her arms around him, hugging his torso, burying her head on his chest, the way she used to do whenever she felt upset in the past. Ronin hesitated for a moment and then giving in to his emotions, he held her, cradling her head on his chest, stroking her long dark hair and letting her work through her own emotions in silence. She may be Queen but she does have some vulnerability left in her. It made him all the more determined to work hard at his training to become the best Leafman there is so that he can protect her with his life.

As they stood together in this embrace, the sun started to filter through the dark clouds, reflecting the new found resolve the Queen had in her. Yes, her priorities now are to the Forest and her people. She will be strong. Rain stopped and flowers surrounding them began to bloom. All around them were signs of new life, of new hope.

The Queen smiled. Looking up at Ronin, she saw the sweetest smile she knew he always had for her. They may have different paths now but this particular Leafman will always be there, at her side, never failing in his duty to protect her. And despite all that seriousness he has now developed, she knew he will always have that soft spot for her even if he will never admit to it openly as he did today and probably would never do while she is Queen. But for now, she was content as he was.


	2. Chapter 2 The Oath of Bonding

"Tara, I have something to show you…."

Ronin at barely seventeen years of age led the young Tara to one of their favourite haunts in the forest. It was by a cascading waterfall where they would swim and sit on its banks to dry off. Further away from the waterfall is a peaceful clearing where they sat on its carpet of luscious green grass and have a picnic together. Many times in this very clearing, Tara would innocently tease and tickle him, something he has always enjoyed and looked forward to.

On this particular day, Ronin created a wreath of forest flowers and presented it to her.

"Oh Ronin, this is so lovely," Tara was most grateful looking at the intricate work that Ronin must have spent hours doing just to perfect such a wreath.

"Remember the first time we met?" Ronin smiled.

Tara's heart skipped a beat. Looking at him smiling at her like that just melted her heart. "Oh Ronin, have I ever told you, that you have the sweetest smile?"

A flush of pink colour rose up in Ronin's pale cheeks. He smiled even more. "Yes, you told me that several times…"

"I would love you to smile all the time, Ronin…"

"You make me smile, Tara…."he said as he held her hands.

"We've known each other a long time," Tara said, loving the way the feel of his large hands seem to envelop her slender fingers. "We were children then when we first met. We know not where you came from. You were so different from the rest of us, from the Jinn of the Forest…"

Ronin sighed. Tara instinctively snuggled right next to him, leaning her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. It was strong, regular, almost lulling her to sleep. Ronin puts his arms around her. She felt so good being held like this. He can smell the fragrance of her hair reminding him of sweet smelling roses in full bloom. Her hair always felt soft, silky and its dark colour reminiscent of midnight. Her ebony skin contrasting his light skin felt like satin to his touch. Everything about her was just perfect in his eyes.

"You know that I grew up almost in the Leafman barracks; I say almost because I would spend time with your family as well as the rest of the Leafmen's families seeing as I do not have one of my own…"

Tara felt his pain as he winced, holding her tighter to him. It was well known that his parents were killed in a Boggan ambush as they lived in the outskirts of Moonhaven. He was only a child when this happened, and he was taken in by the Leafmen and brought up as one of their own. He remembered that horrifying night. It was raining heavily when Boggans attacked their home. He closed his eyes and leaned on Tara's head. It was a memory he would rather not have to visit again as all he can recall now was his demolished home, his parents nowhere to be seen and spilt blood everywhere.

He knew not how he managed to get himself out of where he was to safety. All he knew was that he was dripping wet, bleeding, terribly scared and dirty from having to drag himself from the ruins of what used to be his home and into Tara's place. Her parents took him in, got him cleaned, fed and settled him to bed. He remembered the child Tara asking him over and over again whether he was all right. He saw her dark eyes so full of concern, of worry for him. Whenever he was terrified, dreaming of her eyes was enough to calm him down and send him to sleep. The next day, Tara's parents went in search for his parents and found their bodies. Hearing of their deaths was the most painful experience he had. It made him somber, even more of an outcast. He retreated within himself and it paved the way for his seriousness. But with the help of Tara who would often visit him, another close friend Don who would father a son called Nod and the Leafmen, he survived this childhood trauma. It could have easily made him bitter and vengeful but instead it made him all the more realize how precious life indeed is.

As a child, Ronin showed incredible prowess at being faster, bigger, better than the average Jinn. He was large for his age and at almost seventeen, looked like a fully grown man. There had been times he was picked on as a child because of his difference to the Jinn, his agility and speed not to mention his size, but those experiences certainly made him tougher and stronger. As he grew, no one would dare fight him anymore as he was getting far too well-built and muscular for any of them to handle.

He also knew that where he came from, it was time to choose the One he is to be bonded with.

"Tara?"

"Yes, Ronin?" Tara felt so at home in his arms and did not wish to move.

"Among my people, at my age, I am meant to choose the female my heart will be bonded to for life."

"What?" Tara was shocked. She sat upright and looked straight into his blue eyes. Ronin missed the physical closeness they had just shared, his arms felt suddenly empty and bereft without her in them.

"It's a ritual where I came from…a pledge of eternal loyalty…" His hand traced Tara's hand as though he wanted to memorise how her fingers looked like.

"What does that involve?"

"Well, I take one of these vines, just a short one, and then I bind our hands together and say the oath. If you accept, then I am yours for life, even after death." He looked at her earnestly.

"But what if you change your mind?"

"We can't. The females can. But us males, we can't. Once we have chosen, then it is done. We stay with the female we have chosen no matter what. This is how it has been among my people for generations. It is also our culture and tradition."

"But what if the female says no?"

"Then the bond is broken…" He said sadly. He did prepare for this part. If Tara turned him down, he would have to respect that even if it would tear him apart. He immediately felt a strong stabbing sensation in his heart. He knew he would not recover easily if she spurned him. It would be almost like how he felt when his parents died. The devastation would be immense and he would die from the inside.

"Do you still believe in this ritual? You are of Moonhaven now, Ronin, even if you weren't born here."

"I know, Tara, but this bonding oath is part of me, of what I believe in."

"And what do you believe in?"

"That I…I belong to you…." Ronin was all seriousness once more, his blue eyes displaying all the honesty he felt. His heart was racing, anticipating the worst. It took him incredible restraint to hold back his tears. He may be a growing into a man but he has feelings. And right now he is at his most vulnerable. Give him a fight any day and he can handle that, but where Tara is concerned, his emotions are raw and open.

"Are you sure?" Tara remained uncertain.

"Tara, I can't see myself with any other female except you. I know that in my heart, I had always felt more than just friendship towards you. I...I..." Ronin stammered. He was not sure how he can say what he truly felt. Talking about feelings does not come easy to him.

Tara smiled. Taking the vine he was holding, she took it in her hand and bound their wrists together. Ronin looked at her in pleasant surprise, then with indescribable joy and with the sweetest smile he can ever give her, he recited the oath binding himself to her with the reassurance that she is indeed his One and Only.

_Author's note:_

_These events occurred about a year before Tara was crowned Queen. A bonding ritual among Ronin's people is a pledge of their loyalty to the one they love and is not necessarily a physical consummation of that love. Males instigate the bonding process but it is the females that ultimately hold the power as they can either accept or refuse, and as Ronin stated, it is also up to the females to break the bond if they so choose. This ritual was created purely for this story and not reflective of any existing culture. Please review, let me know what you think. Thank you._


	3. Chapter 3 Ronin

"Ronin, how do I look?"

Ronin gulped as his thoughts were starting to race. _You are asking me? How could this vision of loveliness turn around and ask me how she looks?_

Dressed regally in soft cascading iris-like petals flowing from the back of her long gown with her sleeves and backless top mimicking the skin off a flower stem, she looked truly magical and empowering. Ronin could feel his temperature rise as though tiny currents of sharp heat went through him as he rested his eyes on her exposed skin. Oh what he would give just to have that skin against his own!

"Well, Ronin, how do I look?" Queen Tara softly asked her Ronin once more, interrupting his flow of thoughts. For once he was relieved for the interruption as his thoughts were dangerously going into a territory he knew he must refrain from even if his body and his heart says otherwise.

"Your…Majesty…" He could barely breathe.

"Yes?" She responded dreamily.

Ronin stood rooted to the spot. _Can I just pick up my jaw off the floor so I can answer you properly?_ He thought. He was summoned to the Queen's private rooms early that morning after he had finished his nightly tour of duty keeping Moonhaven safe with the rest of the Leafmen. He enjoyed doing this patrol for he could barely sleep since his Tara was crowned Queen. It helped him stop thinking about her all the time.

It was a big state occasion that day, when the new Queen of Moonhaven is presented to the neighbouring kingdoms surrounding the Forest where she resides. This often takes place a good six weeks or so after the new queen is crowned to allow for preparations and planning, security details sorted out, crowd control in place and all of Moonhaven folk turning out for the event dressed in their best finery.

"Ronin?" Queen Tara as always appeared like she was floating towards him. Ronin concentrated hard on his breathing as his Queen inched closer to him. She slowly touched his cheek. He clenched his fists. It was the only way to stop himself from grabbing the new queen and just kissing her. _This is so unfair_, he thought, _she can just do whatever she wants with me and I am putty in her hands. Why does she hold so much power over me?_ Ronin was struggling to keep his hands to himself. _She's too damn close…heaven help me, her scent is driving me crazy!_

"Er…you look fine… "Was all Ronin could say amidst his rapid breaths. _Is that all I can muster? Are you serious? Of all the things I could have said, like how beautiful your eyes are when you look at me like that or I love how you smile at me whenever you look at me so intensely. Oh a million and one thing I could have said, instead all I can say was you look fine? What kind of answer was that?_ Ronin could not stop internally berating himself for being so inarticulate whenever he is around his Queen, the one woman he so desperately wanted to impress above all.

Queen Tara sensing his turmoil, withdrew her hand and looked away, thinking that she must be making him uncomfortable, and just maybe she was being too forward. After all, she is a Queen now and he, a Leafman, her guard and protector. She keeps forgetting how the unexpected change in their stations in life has played a huge part on keeping them apart.

"I'm glad you thought I looked….fine," she finally said sadly directing her gaze instead to the mirror in front of her, which revealed nothing but the truth that she is indeed, incredibly breathtakingly stunning. But this truth was lost on the Queen as she was still making sense of her status and its implications on their friendship and fondness for each other.

She believed in her heart that Ronin, her Ronin will always be a part of her no matter what role she plays in her life. After all, didn't he not bind himself to her when he was barely seventeen? Or maybe that does not apply now that she is Queen? The thought distressed her immensely. She could not bring herself to remind Ronin about his oath of bonding not so long ago. An oath that males of his race would pledge their loyalty and love to the one female they choose as a life partner.

She sighed. She felt she had no control over being chosen as the next Queen, and that she knew that once chosen, she is not allowed to decline or refuse for it will be quite some time before the next heir is chosen. Each Queen of Moonhaven and of the Forest has to accept their destiny, for the magic of being the embodiment of the Life of the Forest cannot leave them. It is indeed, a huge responsibility and can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. For Tara, being wise and mature beyond her years, has decided that if this is indeed her path, she was to embrace it wholeheartedly and give it her best. But at what cost? How about her love Ronin? She sorely missed those days when they were equals, when they were simply Tara and Ronin, playing games with each other, having the freedom to be who they wished they could be.

Ronin, feeling that he has not said enough, or worse still, sensing that he must have said something wrong, tried to rectify what he said earlier.

"Tara… " He started, then correcting himself again, he said: "Your Majesty, you look more than fine. You don't really need me to tell you that you look…you look…" He cleared his throat. _You look like an angel to me. You look like a goddess. And I, I just love you so very much. _Why oh why does he find it so difficult to just say these things outright to her?

"You look beautiful, Your Majesty." _There I said something better now_, he thought.

Queen Tara smiled, suddenly feeling very sorry for both of them. "I value your opinion, Ronin, you know I always do. And thank you for the compliment."

She looked away from him once more for her eyes would betray what she truly felt about him. She stared at a distance, for once feeling seemingly helpless at the situation. I love you Ronin, her heart cried.

There was a pause of silence when out of the blue she felt nervous. She instinctively put her arms around herself. All those people waiting to meet her. Being the centre of attention never came easy to her for she simply enjoyed being one of the crowds, and yet, here she is, about to meet so many important notable public figures and officials.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" Ronin enquired, watching her every move and feeling so much for her. His was using incredible restraint to stop himself from reaching out to her.

Yes, I'm….I'm… just…just…."

"Petrified." They said the word together. Then they looked into each other's eyes and laughed, dispelling the silence between them. Just for a moment, it was like how it was during those heady days before she was Queen.

"Oh Ronin, you look so sweet when you smile like that…"

"So you keep telling me, Your Majesty…" He smiled even more.

The Queen, feeling so elated with him smiling, grabbed his hand and leads him to one of the large open windows. "Look, Ronin, look what I can do…" She said excitedly as though she won a prize.

She twirled her fingers and vines clinging to the palace walls suddenly grew and crept even more towards them, stopping only when the Queen halted their growth with a mere wave of her hand. Ronin was amazed.

"You're getting good at controlling your powers, Tara…I mean, Your Majesty." He really must get used to calling her that rather than Tara.

"I can do more…" She said animatedly, as she looked at a patch of decaying vine. With another wave of her hand, the vine started sprouting new shoots. Ronin smiled again as the Queen looked at him. Out loud he told her: "You are the Life of the Forest." _As you are my life_, he said to himself silently.

At that point, a loud knock came to the door. A courtier announced: "Your Majesty, your presentation as the new Queen of the Forest is about to begin."

In all seriousness, Ronin knelt and bowed his head. "I must leave you to attend to your guests, Your Majesty, but know that I shall be keeping watch on you always."

Looking at him kneeling like that before her, she dropped to her knees as well, facing him, both their knees literally touching each other. Ronin raised his head, his blue eyes looking at her brown ones with a mixture of surprise, delight and amusement.

"I really wished you could stop kneeling before me, Ronin, it really feels so strange and silly seeing you kneeling before me. I don't know how I can stop you from doing this. Maybe I ought to make a royal decree that you should never kneel before me…"

This time Ronin could no longer hold back his emotions. Gently cupping her face in his hands, he said with all the love he had for her: "I have to always kneel before a Queen, especially if she happens to be MY queen…"

Queen Tara looked into his eyes and covering his hand with hers, she kissed the palm of his hand. "Oh Ronin, sometimes I wished I was not chosen as Queen. I miss our days together, when you can just call me Tara rather than Your Majesty…"

He kissed her forehead. Tara flung her arms around him holding him tightly. She really missed the closeness they often shared, the warmth he exudes when he lets his guard down. She wished she could just run her fingers on his body, just to feel how he's really like underneath all that armour. Oh how she longed for the day when she could do this, free from the restraint of a monarch's duties. Acting on impulse, she moved her hands gently across his torso, resting her hands on his chest.

Ronin embraced her, loving the way her hands left trails of soothing warmth which easily penetrated his armour. He wished too that they could stay like this forever but alas, their time together was all too short-lived. With tremendous effort, he stood up and held his hand out for her to help her on her feet. "Your subjects await you, Your Majesty."

Momentarily, Queen Tara felt reluctant. She was enjoying having this fleetingly brief moment with her beloved Leafman. With a sigh, she took his hand and stood up. As she allowed him to lead her towards the exit of her private rooms, Queen Tara stopped.

"Ronin, wait…."

Ronin did as he was told, knowing that he would always do what his Queen asks of him. At the same time, he also wondered if there was anything wrong. Looking at her with concern, he was about to ask when his Queen simply closed the gap between them, reached out to him and kissed him.


End file.
